Birthday Boy

My baby is 25. We celebrated his entry into a quarter of a century with Vangaurd Church, brats, basketball, homeade salsa, frisbee and fajitas! What an amazing husband I have, and now we can rent a car! What could be better?

Hooray! For the Birthday Boy.

Best First Year of the Rest of My Life

Wow, John and I just celebrated a whole year of marriage. It has been the best year of my life. Even with all of the changes and challenges, being united with John under Christ has been incredible. God surely does love me in wonderful ways. And one of the best ways is through John. Praise the Lord.
We spent the day and night in Denver and went back to the Belmar. Here is a little trip down memory lane.

Thanks for everyone who remembered and thank you to all who have made our life together so amazing. We love you!

Mom's Day

This Mothers Day my fam drove to Colorado Springs to enjoy an evening with Mom Teten and fam. We went to Vangaurd church, which is my favorite church in the Springs and America for that matter. The fam had never seen Glen Eyrie or Headquarters of the Navs. So we took a small tour of the castle and grounds and took a hike up to the waterfalls. What should have been a small hike turned into a challenge due to all the rushing water that no one had seen in years. So we helped my poor mom cross the river many times, and she gracefully did not get wet at all.

Eric's Mom, Geri, joined us too on the day of Moms. This is just before those with tennis shoes stopped and the Chacos went on. It was too hard to do without getting wet.

The boys: John, Eric and Brandon hiked up further to the punch bowls. They are little pools of frigid water formed in the hollows of rock. You have to run up the side of the rock to get any air into the pools. Here is my brave husband before he looses all ability to breath submerged in the icy water. Oh I wish I could have watched.

Because there was so much water the waterfall was more powerful than I have seen it. It was misty and cool just standing yards away from it. It was so much fun to see with my fam.

And here are those brave men before they hike further to the cold bowls.

Later we had BBQ with the Teten fam and played some card games before my fam had to head home. But Mom Teten made some delicious food and we enjoyed homemade ice cream before they left. Thanks for such a fun and delicious day Fam. I am so blessed to have such an incredible family and I could not have even dreamt of a better family to marry into.

Victory in Christ

John and I are so proud of his Dad. Bill ran the Colorado half marathon. He had been training for this goal for a while and it was so exciting for John to see him cross the finish line. (I was still at Starbucks.) Sorry Dad Teten!

Here he is representing the running legs of the body of Christ.

Later we went to a new place in Fort Collins called Dempsey's for breakfast. David and Pamela (tired from her late night bridal shower) joined us.

And so did John's beautiful sister Kristi and her husband Jens. It was a lot of fun to get some Teten time! Thanks.

End of Spring

We ended the spring semester with a wootie! The graduating women shared some delish dessert at the Melting Pot as we celebrated their accomplishments. Good Luck you girls.Then we had our regional staff meetings in St. Pete beach. We spent some great time with our staff that we really love to see. While the men went golfing, we were given money to spend at the cutest little scrapbooking store. We scrapbooked one page about what God has been doing in our lives for a while

This is my page. God has been teaching me for about 3 yrs now. He has been reminding me time and time again about the true freedom that I have in Him. A verse that has been huge in this process is Psalm 119:45. It says: "I will walk in freedom for I have devoted myself to Your commandments." So I had fun creatring a free page. With the verse written on the card with a key on it. I believe so much that by devoting my heart to the Lord, it has set me free. I just need to remember it and chose to walk in freedom.

We then got to share these lessons with the other women on the beach. With chai and cookies! A little bit of worship and prayer ended our time.

Beauty!

It is 7:00pm and it is 85 degrees outside, only two little degrees below the suggested high for today. Why? It is night time . . . what happened to breezes and decreasing temp? Its about time for some Colorado evenings. Say May 5th?

Just Laying out the Welcome mat!

John and I joined a staff couple from USF on a trip to Penn State. We spent five days observing their campus and ministry in action. We were lucky enough to be there for the warmest weather of the year for them. We spent our days enjoying the people, the lovely old homes, the campus and mostly the staff of the Penn State Navigators.

The first night we were there we joined some staff and students for some ice cream. We happened to be there on Blue and White weekend, their spring football game. Which means that Stage College was in an uproar with football and warm weather.

This lovely couple provided all of our training while we were visiting. Dave and Cathy Bowman. They have spent at least 12 yearts ministering to students at PSU.

The Gatlyn's, Chris and Jana. The couple we were lucky enough to travel with. We have been training with them since we have been in Florida.

We are so thankful for our time in State College. We are eager to see our new friends at future staff conferences and training times. We learned so much from the Bowmans and look forward to sharing our info with UF. Lookout students.

Pain in the Root

We solicit your prayers! John has been in tooth pain for a while now, and we found out he needs a root canal! The Lord has been generous in giving us a dentist who goes to our church! But we cannot get him in until April 27th. So he has been on Amoxicilin and Vicodin and will continue both until the infection is gone and thus pain-free. The meds have obviously messed with his stomach and his head, so we would love to see the pain go away so he can function normally! Would you pray for my hurting husband? And you can be praising God too for how He has already provided for us in big ways. The dentist is willing to cut costs in order to help us!

Best Easter Ever!

John and I were having a quiet Easter this past Sunday, we went to church real early and enjoyed much food. The best part was yet to come. We were surprised Easter Eve by Joe and Joy in Gainesville! We were shocked to see them come around the corner when we sat down for dinner at a local restaurant. We kind of looked at them in disbelief until we realized that they were really standing in front of us. John and I were so thankful to have them come out. We feel incredibly loved that they had been planning it out since November and went to so much effort to visit us. The weather was average so we spent so much time talking, eating and playing cards. It was the best time.
We took a brief and chilly walk near lake Alice, looking for an alligator. It was so cold they were nowhere to be found. But they look so happy even without an alligator sighting!

The Nugents were in on the secret and helped plan it out. They are so sneaky, John and I never saw it coming! Thanks so much Maschhoffs!

It is just what we do . . .

. . . we win National Championships. Or I guess I should say, it is what the amazing athletes do at the school where we love the students! John and I joined thousands of students once again at the O Dome to watch the Gators win yet again another championship. The last basketball championship game we watched in Fort Collins, knowing this is where we were headed. It is a great time to be a Florida Gator.Our friend Chase made a Noah's Ark for player JoaKim Noah. Two by two we got our pictures taken, and two by two we are taking home championship trophies.

The rowdy crowd . . . minutes away from winning!

The thing to do in Gainesville is run out onto University ( equivalent of Laurel St. in FoCo) It is shut down and overcrowded with students. Yelling, climbing trees, standing on cars you name it, we saw a kid on an office chair pushing himself down towards University.

We have ourselves a little tradition already when we win such titles. We climb our way through the crowd and get pizza at the busiest establishment in the city at that moment. And we thought . . . why are we trying this again? But it is fun, and I hope we have another chance to do it again.

Well Said!

Spring Break? What break, this is where we live!

John and I have just planned out our spring break . . . painting, long boarding, fundraising, studying, sewing(for me) and basketball of course (for John). And the neat thing is that the beach is on our to do list too. But for the first time we dont have to fly to enjoy the ocean and sunshine, it is just a hop in the car. It is kind of funny, we are trying to avoid spring break (i.e. lots of college students, drunkeness and nakedness)

This picture is actually from last fall when we went to St. Augustine beach after we just moved here. It is a beautiful place and aparently it is the oldest city in America. Here we come, every one loves an old married couple on the beaches of spring break!

The Daily Teten

This past week, one of my key girls turned the big 19! We joined her for her celebration at McCalister's. It is a tastebud haven with yummy salads,texas-sized spuds, and sandwichs, and most important they have the best sweet tea . . . or diet coke for me! Yum, thanks Brittney for letting us celebrate your day!Oh, and I just dusted this picture off as I was going through my friend's facebook picture album. This old thing . . . oh yeah that time when we won the SEC national championship, it was like it was yesterday!

Facebook is a great place to steal pictures from other people's profiles. Thanks Heather.

One More Teten Please!

thats right we are not finished . . . and by that I mean that I am proud to announce the very fresh engagement of my brother David Teten to the beautiful bride-to-be Pamela. And I cannot wait for it.

I want a Pamela Teten in my life!

MLK Weekend Right?

Well it is true that we spent the long MLK weekend in North Carolina. And it is equally true that that was over a month ago. But if I know wisdom, and I think I do . . . than there is no time like the present. And so here is a short documentary that I have been working on from our trip.

here we have the women . . . standing on a log

and this is pizza-eating in the wonderful world of waynesville. Mmm!

and the best part. this was our housing. A beautiful bright becon in the thicket of the great NC.

thanks for watching. stay tuned for more short stories.

Valentine's Day

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good dear friend Becca. It is to her (and my passionate lover of a husband John) that I owe my new found appreciation for the red, the pink, the hearts, the frills and the love of valentine's day. In honor of my new interest in this holiday we had a pre-party celebration if you will with the students we love and cherish at UF. They convened in out little apartment last night for some chocolate fondue, heart shapped cookies and brownies and some mocha punch! It was a delight and a great beginning to a wonderful day.

We'll Take It!

This January has been an encouraging time for John and I. We feared that spending time in Colorado would lead to disappointment as we headed home for Florida. But it hasn't, we have been able to embrace it as home I think for the first time (at least for me) It has been nice to enjoy the warm weather and the rainstorms at night. We spent a short afternoon at a lake nearby and canoed and volleyballed with some students last weekend. We are even so bold to entertain the idea of staying in the same apartment that made me cry the first time I saw it. But now it is home and we love our little abode! It may be in the ghetto, it may get no sunlight at all and our bedroom window may be above a parking lot that inhabits drunk and loud college students on random nights . . . but home it is. come see it!

Victorious

Final score: 41 to 14 . . .
the losing teams Heisman winning quarterback had the worst game of his career . . .
a dome filled with 14,ooo fans watching on big screens in Gainesville . . .

University Ave in Gainesville packed for miles with fans age 2 to 70.

Less than clothed men and women running around in pure delight.

People climbing trees, light poles and each other in the streets and
almost walking home at 3am because buses stopped running . . .

that my friends is what it feels like to win the BCS National Championship! We are proud to be Florida Gators.

The Holidays in Colorado

John and I just returned to Florida after a month long trip to the home land. We loved every minute of our stay in Colorado. The snow was enough to last us for another year. Our time was filled with a conference in the springs, family, friends, eating food we don't get in Florida, playing card games, sledding, and shopping. I was lucky enough to even spend my 22nd birthday with my family. Most of my pics are from that festivity . . . I did a poor job documenting the rest of the trip . . . so . . .
My family was kind enough to hire entertainment for my birthday . . . I was just thinking it is a shame when you are too old for a couple of good clowns at your bash. My aunt and uncle I am sure are loving this exposure.

The crew who joined me at my favorite mexican restaurant.

The ones who manufactured me and created my day of celebration. Thanks Mom and Dad.

John took me out to the Broker Restaurant in Denver on my actual birthday. My succulent alaskan king crab legs were delicious and larger than my head. Thats how you know it is good seafood my friends.

And finally a little bit of my women . . . I miss having so many amazing women to share life with. I am still on the hunt for life-giving, long-lasting, forever friends friends in Florida. But I still have a special place in my heart for the women who bless me from so far away. Thanks for the encouragement you are.

John and I would like to thank the Hofmann's for being the amazing hosts that they are, their home was a delight. Thanks Mama Teten for creating a beautiful time for us in the springs, and thanks Mama Straight for taking such good care of us while we were home. We are looking forward to two-double-o-seven and all of the good things we have to look forward to.